CBP Officers Intercept 190 Pounds of Pot Hidden in Tires

DOUGLAS, ARIZ.—A local 57-year-old man was arrested yesterday for attempting to smuggle nearly $95,000 in marijuana through the port of Douglas, Ariz.

CBP officers in Douglas, Ariz. discover marijuana hidden within all five tires on a vehicle attempting to enter the U.S.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested the U.S. citizen after a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted officers to 37 packages of marijuana within all five tires of his Ford truck. The nearly 190 pounds of drugs and vehicle were processed for seizure. The man was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.

Individuals arrested may be charged by complaint, the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity, which raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

CBP officers working at Arizona's ports are assigned to the Office of Field Operations, the primary organization within Customs and Border Protection tasked with an anti-terrorism mission. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.